Despite there being a ton of HR recruiters and job hunting tools online, most of them miss the mark. Job seekers spend hours browsing jobs on CareerBuilder, Monster and TheLadders, while most of the applications companies receive never get reviewed. Recruiters are notorious for contacting people who either aren’t looking for a job anymore, or who are unqualified for the job they’re looking to fill. That’s why Climber.com, one of the Tech 200, is sheer genius.

Climber.com’s platform is like Salesforce.com for job seekers. It aggregates job listings from all the top job sites, which saves seekers time. Job seekers are ranked on the site based on their activity, and it’s been shown that hiring managers gravitate toward those who are more active on the site. Users can also take notes and categorize jobs based on those they’ve applied for, had an interview for, et cetera. Climber works directly with a network of recruiters, and connects them to qualified candidates via social media. It takes the job hunt to a whole new level.

Clearly, the San Diego based company is succeeding with its approach to helping job seekers find work. The company grew revenues over 400% from 2009 to 2010, and more than 2700% from 2008 to 2010.

Climber CEO Mike O’Brien attributes this phenomenal growth to “a better understanding of what our customers needs are.” Climber is constantly revamping its offerings and working to offer job hunters more useful and relevant tools.

Partners for Success

So what marketing tool brings the biggest ROI for Climber? It’s not advertising, or PR. “Climber’s focus is on identifying and growing mutually beneficial partnerships,” said O’Brien, “We don’t mind bearing the weight of development and integrations costs if the partnership has high potential. This enables us to create integrations that do not rely heavily on the partner’s already overburdened tech staff.”

And speaking of ROI, it’s the one thing O’Brien attributes to Climber’s fast growth. By keeping an eye on what’s generating solid ROI and what’s not, the company stays agile and nimble: “We do not believe in spending to develop brand, but rather developing our brand as a by-product of our sales.”

What’s Next

O’Brien says he hopes to grow sales 200% by adding news partners and scaling Climber’s new Leadli.com product, which helps a professional build a personal career brand and generate referrals through social media. It’s his hope that within five years, the company will have a suite of products that help professionals become more productive and have sales north of $100 million.